Pop star Ed Sheeran sang and played guitar to a New York jury at a civil trial being held to decide whether he copied Marvin Gaye's Let's Get it On.
Ednews reports citing CNN that for roughly an hour on the stand, Sheeran described his entire musical career and performed parts of the song in question, Thinking Out Loud.
Heirs of Gaye's co-writer, Ed Townsend, are claiming that he stole elements of the chart-topping hit.
But in court, Sheeran cradled a guitar as he described his artistic process.
"I draw inspiration a lot from things in my life and family," said Sheeran, denying that he had been influenced by Gaye's legendary 1973 R&B hit.
He told the jury how his 2014 song was written at his home in England with friend and collaborator Amy Wadge.
He said the process began during a brainstorming session, with him saying the phrase "I'm singing out now", which was ultimately changed to become the title of the song.
"When I write vocal melodies, it's like phonetics," Sheeran said.
